Alone
by mattTheWriter072
Summary: What's a small, helpless lion cub to do after the tragic loss of his father? After narrowly escaping his own death at the jaws of Scar's hyenas and exiling himself from the Pride Lands, Simba is left to continue his journey through the Sahara...alone. (Oneshot, based on the 2019 version)


Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Lion King franchise or any characters associated with the franchise. All rights belong to Disney. This is not my intellectual property, and no financial gain is made from this nor will be sought. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.

**Author's note: Hi, everyone! I know this wasn't the big update for "The Speedy Chocolatier Showdown" my loyal readers have been awaiting, but I got the idea for this oneshot after watching the 2019 remake of "The Lion King", which I liked even more than the original film. Unlike the original, there's an added scene in the new movie which shows little Simba walking across the dunes of the Sahara. That scene inspired me to write this oneshot. Enjoy! :)**

_Run. Run away, Simba. Run away, and never return!_

My uncle's words echoed endlessly in my skull as I ran far away into the desert, to never return to Pride Rock. It didn't matter that the sun was beating down on me with all its overwhelming heat and light. It didn't matter that I felt sharp stabs of pain every time my paws touched the scorching hot ground. No, all that mattered was that I had murdered my own father.

_If it weren't for you, he'd still be alive. Your father had such hopes for you, and gave you so many chances. And this is how you repay him?_

"I didn't know...!" I cried, my vision blurring with tears as Scar's words continued to swirl through my mind. If I hadn't roared at that chameleon, I would never have caused the wildebeest stampede that almost trampled me to death. It was my fault that my father came to rescue me, only to fall to his own death moments later, right before my own eyes. My beloved father, the lion king, would still be alive if it weren't for me.

_Oh, what will your mother think? A son who causes his father's death; a boy who kills a king._

What _will_ my mother think? She'd want nothing to do with me anymore, since I had caused her mate's death. Nala would turn away from me upon first sight, and so would the other cubs, leaving me with nobody to play with. My dreams of being king, getting into mischief with Nala, the warmth and comfort that I fondly received at the paws of my mother, even though I hated baths...all of that had vanished in the blink of an eye. Everyone will want me dead for what I've done!

"It just _can't_ be!" I squeaked, forcing myself to run faster and harder to put as much distance between myself and the Pride Lands as possible, even as glistening tears relentlessly flowed down my cheeks, clouding my vision, my mind, and my heart.

Scar's words kept echoing inside my head again and again: _And if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive. Oh, what will your mother think? A boy who kills a king. Run away, and never return!_

_Scar's right_, I thought. _I must run away and never return, otherwise everyone will want me dead like my father! I'm...I'm sorry! Seriously, I didn't mean for it to happen! Please forgive me!_

* * *

My body was overwhelmed by heat and stress as I continued to travel deeper into the Sahara, and I knew that I couldn't keep running like this for much longer. I began to slow down, having succumbed to the unforgiving conditions of the vast, endless desert that stretched out beyond the horizon in all directions. This landscape was far different from any I've ever seen. The Pride Lands were colorful and vibrant, consisting of trees, watering holes, all sorts of friendly creatures, and of course, the pride that I was all too happy to regard as my family. Now, I was aimlessly trudging along the shallow peak of one of many identical sand dunes. No matter where I turned my head, everything appeared the same. There was no sign of life, not even a small plant or grub. Nothing. I was wandering all alone in a soundless, soulless desert, with only the smoldering heat from the sun, the dry air that literally shimmered in front of my eyes, and the dreadful thoughts that still overwhelmed my brain to keep me company.

I must have traveled a very long distance by now. All I could do was lower my head in exhaustion, watching as fine grains of golden sand drifted between my legs and underneath my aching paws. Each step left a tiny pawprint behind; pawprints that were like those of a mouse compared to the bold, regal impressions that my dad made. My tongue carefully traced the edge of my gums, which were cracked and bleeding from dehydration. I finally lifted my head up, and I thought I saw an oasis off in the distance, but once I got there several minutes later, it only turned out to be another endless mass of scorching sand dunes.

I so desperately wanted to give up at this point, to just collapse and die so that I could reunite with my father amongst the stars, but a small, quiet voice in my head told me to keep moving, and that I would eventually make it out of this harsh, lifeless land.

"Help!" I croaked as loudly as I possibly could, which wasn't much. "Somebody, help...anybody...help me." All that met my ears was total silence. I was the only living creature in this never-ending desert, a lion cub lost in the dunes. A helpless, little lion who had no friends, no family, no food, no water, and would die alone in the Sahara.

Eventually, the dunes gave way to flat desert ground. I had to squint to see where I was going; my eyes on the verge of being blinded by the sunlight as it reflected off the parched and fractured earth.

I took a step. Then another. And another. I lifted one of my front paws off the ground to take one more step, but that paw came right back down as the leg it was attached to suddenly gave out from underneath my body. My remaining three paws couldn't bear the burden any more, and I collapsed onto the hot, dry ground.

I slowly closed my eyes as I laid there, waiting to slip into unconsciousness. No one else was with me, except for the voices that still lingered in my head.

"Dad," I said quietly, "we will always be together, right?"

My father's majestic face swam into my vision, and he smiled at me with a twinkle in his deep, brown eyes.

And then he spoke.

"Simba, let me tell you something my father once told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you, and so will I."

"I understand, Dad," I whispered, a small, sad smile forcing its way across my brittle lips. "I'll meet you up there...very soon."

**Author's note: I hope you enjoyed my oneshot! Please review, and stay tuned for when I update my other stories. :D**


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